LANDLORDS TO GET SURVEY ON TENANTS, CONDITIONS

CHRISTINE DEMPSEY; Courant Staff WriterTHE HARTFORD COURANT

Some landlords will be getting mail from the town soon, and it won't be another tax bill.

The town is mailing questionnaires to property owners who rent out four or more apartments. The surveys will allow the town to start a database of the town's rental properties, said Mayor Robert M. DeCrescenzo.

Filling out the four-page questionnaire may take a little time, but landlords stand to benefit, DeCrescenzo said. The survey gives them a chance to share any concerns or compliments about the neighborhood or the town. And it offers the survey's results, plus a log of bad tenants to watch out for.

"It's to everybody's benefit to get a good handle on the rental market in the town of East Hartford," DeCrescenzo said. "You can't ever lose by gathering information about your town."

Close to 200 surveys will be mailed as soon as the mayor is able to sign them, said K. Annette Liseno, the town's development assistant. The questionnaire was modeled after one in Vernon, she said.

The survey asks basic questions, such as the number of units and the average monthly rent. Answers to the latter question will help landlords determine whether they are charging too much or too little, DeCrescenzo said.

It also asks what type of heat is used, and how energy-efficient the apartments are. The town could use that information to apply for grants to increase energy efficiency, he said.

Landlords also will be asked to rate the safety and appearance of their apartments' neighborhoods. If an area is considered unsafe, that information will be passed on to police, he said.

"It will help us target our resources," DeCrescenzo said.

Meanwhile, information on the number of children in apartment buildings will be passed on to the school system, which has been carefully monitoring increasing enrollments.

Once completed, the database could help the town with redevelopment, too.